Life, Unexpected
by MoonlightShadow1998
Summary: Karen gets some new that will turn her whole world upside down, and she needs the help of her best friends to deal with what is going to happen. Note: this story takes place after season five, and Stan Walker is really dead.
1. Chapter 1

"...Karen, are you even listening to me?" Grace waved her hand in front of her assistant's face.

"What? Sorry, I was just...thinking." Karen looked up at Grace. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you called Mr. Weiler, to reschedule the meeting tomorrow. Did you?"

"I tried, but no one answered." She started to feel dizzy, so she tried to concentrate on a point on the wall, hoping it would help.

Grace noticed something wasn't right. When did Karen ever do what she asked her to? "Karen, are you alright? You seem a little off. And I mean more than usual."

"I'm just feeling a little sick, no big deal."

"Do you wanna go home? Or see a doctor?" Grace started to worry about her friend. She took a few steps to get closer to Karen, and put her hand on her arm.

"No, it's fine, honey, I don't need a doctor. I'll go see Pharmacist on my way home, I think it's these new pills he gave me, they're just not as good as the old ones." She looked at her boss and smiled to ensure her she was going to be fine, although she herself wasn't so sure. Karen had been feeling quite poor in the last couple of days. She knew what it felt like when it came from the pills, and this was different.

"Alright, but if you change your mind, you tell me."

The dark-haired woman just nodded in agreement.

For the rest of the day Karen sat at her table, looking through magazines and trying to distract herself from the weird feeling she had. It had been years since she had last felt sick. Normally the alcohol and the pills numbed her so much that she wouldn't notice any ailments, but that didn't work this time. She couldn't even focus on the new fall collections which she had been excited about for weeks. She kept worrying that something was wrong with her. _Really_ wrong.

When the phone in the office rang and pulled the dark-haired woman out of her thoughts it was already after five. She decided she had spent enough time of this day at work, got up and reached for her purse.

"You leaving?" Grace didn't sound surprised, and she really wasn't. Karen had a habit of coming in late and leaving early. After Stan's death four weeks ago she had started to spent a little more time at the office, because she said being in the manse always reminded her of him. It was a difficult time for her, even though they were getting a divorce when he died. And Karen would never admit it, but it was nice to be around Grace, and to know there was someone who cared about her and who she could talk to, if she ever felt the need.

"Yeah, it's getting late and I still have a lot to do. My pills won't refill themselves."

"Do you wanna come to dinner tomorrow? Will is making his _Coq au Vin_."

"Sure, honey, I would like that." Karen smiled at the red-haired woman. "Have a nice evening, Grace."

"You too."

"And then this cute guy, whose name is Benjamin by the way, asked me for my number and now I have a date tomorrow." Jack was beaming with happiness. And Karen was really happy for him, even though she herself felt horrible. She didn't sleep at all the night before, and for once it wasn't because of some pills.

"So, anything interesting happening in your life, William?" Jack looked at him expectantly.

"Well, I have this new client who-"

"I said interesting, not boring."

"Hey, my job is not boring." Will pouted a little. "At least not at all times."

Karen didn't listen to the rest of their conversation. She had other things to worry about than some office drama because someone wore the same tie as Will. After what was a bad day yesterday it just got worse in the evening. She had spent the whole night thinking about what she should do, and whether she should talk to her friends about what was going on. Karen didn't know how they would react and it scared her, because she really needed them by her side.

She only started listening to the others again when she heard Will say her name.

"Karen, are you alright? You haven't even touched your food."

"And more importantly, you haven't touched your booze! Is something wrong?" Jack looked at her worriedly.

"You said yesterday that you felt a little sick. But I thought you wanted to go see Pharmacist about it?"

"Yeah, I did." She looked down at her plate, trying to decide what to do.

"So, what did he say? Did he give you some other pills?"

"It wasn't the pills, Gracie." Will, Jack and Grace all looked at her, and Karen could see that they were getting really worried. She knew she had to tell them, they were her best friends, so she swallowed hard and tried her best to get the words over her lips. "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" The other three all looked at Karen in shock, while the socialite just closed her eyes and nodded.

"Oh Karen." Grace looked at her worriedly, reaching over to her and taking her hand.

"But are you sure? I mean, a couple years ago you also thought you were pregnant but it turned out to be false alarm."

"I'm sure, Jackie. I went to see Pharmacist yesterday after work, and I told him how bad these new pills make me feel and that I wanted my old ones back. But he just said that it's probably not the pills, and that I should take a pregnancy test because what I had just described sounded like the early stages of pregnancy. And at first I thought he was kidding and I laughed at him, but he insisted that he was being serious. So I bought a test and I took it when I got home, and it was positive." Karen could barely stop her voice from breaking.

Grace gently stroked her arm. "But you must have _somehow_ noticed it before, right? Like, you must have been late?"

"Yeah, I was. But I blamed it all on the stress, you know? The divorce, and then Stan's death. And all the trouble with his children and with Lorraine. I thought that was the reason. It never even crossed my mind that I might be pregnant."

"Now, I don't want to sound insensitive, but do you know who the father is?" You could always leave it up to Will to ask the tough questions, though this time he was seriously concerned about Karen. She was his friend after all.

Karen nodded. "The baby is Stanley's." If the others had been shocked before then there was no word to describe what they felt now.

"Stan?! But- you guys were broken up, you were even divorcing! How did that happen?" Grace was confused and also a little upset, and she made no effort to hide it.

"I know. And I didn't plan for this to happen. About two weeks before Stan died, I went to the manse to get the last of my things. I would have sent Rosario, but this was about my jewelry and I wouldn't let anyone anywhere near that. And I thought he wouldn't be there, cause it was Wednesday and that's when he always went to this all-you-can-eat buffet. But he was there, and when our eyes met, it was just like the old days, you know. Just him and me, and nothing else in the world. And I just- I just wanted to be with him, one last time before it was all over. So we had sex. But it wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was just supposed to be the end. Of everything that was and everything we had. And in a sense, it was. It was the last time that I saw him." Karen couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She tried to turn away from her friends so they wouldn't see her like this, but Grace got up next to her and pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her back and repeatedly saying "I'm sorry, Kare. I'm so sorry."

Will and Jack got up from their seats too, and sooner than she could realize Karen was being hugged from all sides. Normally she wouldn't like this, and she would try to break free from it, but not this time. It just felt nice to know there are people who cared for her, and people she could rely on.

When the dark-haired woman stopped crying about ten minutes later, everyone got back to their chairs, but Grace wouldn't let go of her hand.

"Did you go see a doctor yet? To make sure everything is okay with the baby?"

"No. I'm scared. What if something is wrong? I don't know what to do."

Grace squeezed her assistant's hand. "I could come with you, if you want, so you won't have to do it alone."

"That sounds good. Thanks, Gracie." Karen smiled a little at Grace.

"Of course, Karen. I'm always here for you, and I'll help you no matter what."

"You can count me in too, Kare." Jack reached across the table for Karen's other hand.

"And me too. I know we've had our differences, but your my friend." Will put his hand on top of Grace's, so that all of them were holding hands with Karen.

The socialite was about to cry again. She wasn't used to people actually caring for her, and she knew how lucky she was to have friends like this. To have a family like this.

"Ooh, guys, I have an amazing idea! Why don't we all have a sleepover here at Will's tonight? We haven't done that in a while." Jack was beaming with excitement over his own idea.

"Sure, it would be nice to spend some more time with all of you again. And Karen wouldn't have to be alone tonight." Grace turned to Karen. "What do you say?"

"That's a good idea. It'll be nice to have you all with me."

"I'm okay with that too. But who cares what I think, it's just _my_ apartment we're talking about, right?" No one really paid attention to what Will was saying.

"Great, so it's decided. I'll go and grab the fluffiest pillow!" Jack ran off as if he was chasing some cute guy, and the others just laughed at it.

"So, does anyone want to help me do the dishes? No one? Fine, go to the bedroom, I'll join you when I'm finished here." Will stood up, grabbed the four plates off the table and walked towards the kitchen.

Grace got up and pulled Karen out of her chair too. "Come on, let's go, before Jack takes up the whole bed for himself."

As Will had finished the dishes he went into his bedroom where the others were waiting for him. The three of them were already lying in bed, with Karen in the middle and Grace and Jack snuggled up to her left and right, respectively. Will lay down right next to Grace and even managed to get a little bit of the bedspread for himself before wrapping his arm around both Grace and Karen. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, and they all enjoyed feeling the closeness and warmth of each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Will was the first one to wake up the next morning. He got up, went into the kitchen and started making breakfast for everyone, he was used to it anyways. He couldn't stop thinking about the evening before. Karen was really pregnant. Of all the women in the world she was one of the least likely to ever have children, in his opinion. But he knew that she could make for a good mother, she just had to put some effort in and have the support of her friends. Before he could finish his thoughts he heard noise from the bedroom.

"Ouch! Damn it!" He didn't know what exactly happened to Jack, but he was sure he didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Your bed is too small!" Jack was basically screaming when he stormed into the living room. "I tried to get out of bed really quietly so that I wouldn't wake Karen and Grace and – Boom! – I fell right out."

"Well the not waking up Grace and Karen part didn't really work out." He pointed behind Jack, where the two women were just coming out of the bedroom, clearly still half asleep.

"Morning." That was all Grace could mutter.

"Good morning to you too. Breakfast is almost ready. Karen, how did you sleep?"

"Well, I'm not used to people being this close to me while I'm asleep, but it was kind of nice, I guess." She smiled a little saying that.

"Alright, everyone sit down, let's eat. I'll set the table."

After they had finished eating Grace turned to Karen. "You wanna go see the doctor today? The sooner the better I think."

"Yeah, okay. But you said you would come with me."

"And I will, I promised you. You don't have to do this alone." She grabbed Karen's hand and squeezed it. "But I think you should call first, you know, make an appointment so that we don't have to wait so long."

"Alright, that sounds like a good idea. I'll just… call the doctor, and make an appointment." Karen sighed. She really didn't want to do this. She'd rather just forget all about it, drink a Martini or two, take some uppers and go on happily living her life. But she knew she couldn't. If she really was pregnant with Stanley's baby then she couldn't risk hurting her child in any way. So she had to make that appointment and go to the doctor. She took out her phone and started going through her contacts. There had to be an OB/GYN somewhere. When she finally found the number she paused for a moment before dialing. "Hello, this is Karen Walker... Yes, I'd like to make an appointment… You know, for – for a scan… Yeah, right, that kind. As soon as possible… Today at three? Sounds good… Yeah, I'll be there. Thanks."

"Okay, three, so we still have a couple hours. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, maybe go to the office? Do something normal? I think that would help."

It didn't sound like Karen at all to voluntarily go into the office, but she was in an unusual situation so Grace didn't ask any questions and just agreed.

Karen had a hard time concentrating at work. To be honest, she never really tried as she never really worked anyways, but today she did, because she needed a distraction. She needed to get her mind off this doctor's appointment. When it was 2 pm she just couldn't stand the wait anymore and asked Grace if they could leave already.

"Alright, but we will be early. But maybe we're lucky and you'll get in earlier."

They went to the limo, told Driver the address, and didn't say a word for the whole drive. Grace could see how nervous Karen was – hell, she was nervous herself – so she just took her hand and didn't let go of it until they arrived at their destination.

"Are you ready to go in, Kare?"

"Not really, but I don't have a choice, do I? At least I've got you by my side."

When they came in they saw that the waiting room was almost empty. Karen walked up to the counter to check in. "Hi, my name is Karen Walker. I have an appointment at three. I know that I'm a little early, but-"

"No problem, Mrs. Walker. There is just one person in front of you, so you should be in in about 15 to 20 minutes. Just sit down in the waiting room."

Karen walked back to Grace and sat down next to her. "She said that we have to wait for about 20 minutes."

"Alright. Don't worry, we got this. Whatever happens, I'm here."

"Thanks Gracie."

The twenty minutes felt like hours to both Karen and Grace. When she was finally called in, it took Karen a moment to get up out of her chair. Now she would find out for sure. After she went into this room there would be no going back.

"Hello Mrs. Walker, it's been a long time since I last saw you. How are you today?"

"Hello Dr. Finn. Well, I've been better, to be honest. This is my friend Grace, I was hoping she could stay?"

"Of course. Hello." Dr. Finn smiled at Grace. She was a pretty woman in her early forties. She was always very professional and discreet, that's why Karen had been her patient for almost fifteen years.

After the two women sat down, the doctor looked at Karen. "So, when you made the appointment you said you wanted a pregnancy scan. Any indication that you're pregnant, or is it just to make sure that you are not?"

"Well, I've been feeling sick for days, I can barely sleep and just the thought of alcohol or pills makes me want to throw up. And I took one of these home tests, and it was positive."

"That does sound like a justified suspicion. Alright then, lay down on the examination chair and lift up your shirt so that I can make a scan."

"Grace, will you come with me please?"

"Of course."

They all went over to the examination chair, Karen laid down on it and pulled her shirt up a little, while Grace sat down on a chair to her left and took her hand, and Dr. Finn sat down on her right, next to the ultrasound scanner.

"Alright, this will be cold now." The doctor squeezed some ultrasound gel on Karen's belly and placed the ultrasound transducer on top. "Okay then, let's see if we find something." She started to move the transducer around. They sat in silence for some time, until they heard a sound coming out of the scanner. Dr. Finn stopped the transducer and turned her monitor so that Karen and Grace could see what was on it. "I don't know if this is good news for you or not Mrs. Walker, but you are pregnant. Seven weeks I'd say."

Karen didn't know how to react to this. She had been aware of the fact that she could really be pregnant, but to know it for sure now was too much for her. To see this little something on the monitor, to hear this noise. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, to throw something around. But all that happened was a single tear that came out of her left eye.

"That sound, is that-"

"That is the baby's heartbeat, yes. And it is strong. The fetus is still really small so I can't see a lot, but everything looks fine to me."

"That sound good, right Karen?" Grace looked over at her friend who was still in shock. "Hey, Kare, are you alright?" Grace was really worried about her.

"I- I don't know, Grace. I need some time to process this."

The doctor gave Karen a printout of the ultrasound and had the nurse fill out a maternity log. Karen didn't say much on the way back, and she told Grace that she might not come into work the next day. Grace was very understanding and told her to call her if she needed anything, or wanted to talk. After they brought Grace home, Karen had Driver take her back to the manse and went straight into bed. Now, after the scan, everything was so real. And she didn't really know how to handle the fact that a tiny human being was growing inside of her.

Karen spent the rest of the day and the next one in bed, but she knew she couldn't just go on like that. She had to keep on living her life. So the day after, she went into the office, much to Grace's surprise.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be coming in for the next couple days. How are you? I haven't heard from you since the appointment."

"I'm starting to get used to the fact that in about seven months I'll be a mother. And that there is a teensy little baby inside of me that I have to take care of, and that I can't drink or take pills for a loooong time. So I couldn't be any better, how about you?"

"Karen, I didn't mean to upset you, I just-"

"It's alright Honey, I know you didn't. It's just my hormones, they are currently a little through the roof."

"Okay. You know, if you need something-"

"I know." Karen smiled at Grace, and Grace smiled back at her.


End file.
